[health] general

A national survey of the political, economic, social and legal status of women in Morocco released today by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) shows a mixed picture of women’s status in the region.

While one could think that aspects relating to sexuality would come into this debate as one of the key dimensions of human development, main obstacles remain, which make it difficult to more fully incorporate sexuality as development priority.

Currently, over 60% of the world's people live in countries where induced abortion is permitted either for a wide range. In contrast, about 26% of all people reside in countries where abortion is generally prohibited.

Nicaragua’s ban on abortion, which criminalizes life-saving medical treatment, has had a devastating impact on women’s health and lives, Human Rights Watch said in the first-ever report on the human rights consequences of the ban, enacted in Nov. 2006.

Muslim clerics from 25 African countries have begun a five-day population and development meeting in Tanzania's semiautonomous island of Zanzibar, focusing on issues such as HIV/AIDS and gender violence.

The Tribunal forms part of activities to commemorate 16 days of activism against gender violence 2006, to provide a forum for victims of women’s human rights abuse to speak out against the violations and attract public condemnations of the abuses.